Defamation damages cost Trump $88.3 million
Donald Trump’s insult to E. Jean Carroll went on for a long time. According to Trump, Carroll’s sexual harassment allegation against Trump was allegedly made to sell books.
Will President Trump continue to do so after an $83.3 million defamation verdict against him?
Following public allegations against Carroll in 2019, a jury concluded that Trump had intentionally tarnished her reputation. This decision was taken on Friday. As compensation for the suffering she experienced, she was awarded $18 million in damages, plus an additional $65 million to punish Trump (and perhaps discourage him from launching more Internet attacks on her. to be done).
In May this year, a separate jury ruled that Trump was responsible for sexual assault against Carroll in a changing room at a Manhattan department store in 1996. The panel decided to award Carroll $5 million. If both decisions are upheld, she would be entitled to a total compensation of $88.3 million from Trump.
As far as Trump and his legal team are concerned, there will be an appeal.
what was alleged
Carroll claims that she met Trump in 1996 when she was shopping at the Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue. Trump’s residence was nearby. He described these persons as recognizable. Carroll also had a column published in Elle magazine during the period she served as host of the cable television talk show “Ask E. Jean.”
Carroll and Trump both headed to the lingerie section and tried to make each other wear a piece of lace in the changing room. Carroll testified in court and wrote about the incident in his biography. He also said that he and Trump walked to the department. After removing her underwear and making her stand against a wall in the changing room, she said Trump sexually assaulted her. She also claimed that he removed her underwear. Carroll said she was able to escape and take her own life.
After the release of Carroll’s story outlining the alleged encounter in 2019, then-elect Trump assured reporters that he was unaware of Carroll’s name, that the allegation was “completely false” and that his goal was to sell books. Carroll’s story was published in 2019.
A preliminary investigation:
In 2019, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump, saying the president had damaged her reputation by making statements that were both untrue and hurtful. For several years, the trial was stalled due to legal ambiguity, including questions about whether Trump was fulfilling his duties as president at the time he denied the allegations. According to Trump, the President is exempt from crime in incidents related to character assassination.
While this was going on, New York State changed its law to provide victims of sexual assault a new chance to file lawsuits for attacks that happened long ago. Carroll, who was one of the first to take advantage of the opportunity, filed a new case against Trump in which she accused him of raping her. One reason for the lawsuit being filed against her was statements made about her after leaving the White House.
Even though Carroll provided no evidence that she was raped, a jury considered the facts in that case and concluded that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll. This was within the definition of a crime in New York State.
After concluding that Trump’s public statements against Carroll were libelous and did not fall within the scope of freedom of speech, the jury decided to award Carroll approximately $3 million, in addition to the $2 million awarded for abuse.
Here we are in the second test.
After the most significant legal issues were resolved, the only question that remained was whether Carroll was also affected as a result of his statements and actions during the Trump administration.
According to United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, a new trial is necessary to assess the validity of that claim. However, during that trial, it was not necessary to reconsider the issue of whether or not Trump physically attacked Carroll or whether his words against her were enough to constitute defamation. Following this trial, what amount, if any, Trump will be awarded for statements he made about Carroll on June 21 and 22, 2019, will be determined.
Even though Trump and his legal team are angry that they were not given another chance to convince that Trump is innocent, Kaplan claims they had already lost that battle.
Kaplan told the council “It is a very well-established legal principle in this country that prevents frustrated litigants from retrying their work.” The statement was made on the day Donald Trump testified in his second trial. As a result, he was chained when he lost it. No matter what he expresses in court today, the jury will be informed that, in their opinion, it was he who committed the crime. The same is the law also.
What is the next step?
The legal team providing representation for Trump is committed to challenging both decisions and has begun challenging the first decision.
We will not let it dominate us. There will be no shortage of fight. Alina Habba, Trump’s surrogate, issued a pledge that the president will emerge victorious in the end, even if her team lost today.
Many arguments are being made by his legal team, one of which is that Trump had every right to vehemently deny Carroll’s allegations and suggest that she had ulterior motives. That’s one reason why they’re making this argument.
According to Hubba, the right of self-defense applies universally to every individual.
At the same time that Trump’s legal team is appealing Kaplan’s ruling that the jury in the second trial was not obligated to review Trump’s culpability for sexual assault, they are also claiming that the judge erred in front of the jury. Wrongly diminished his ability to present his argument.
In New York State, the case will be heard by an appeals panel. There is a possibility that the appeals may ultimately be heard by the Supreme Court of the United States at some time in the future.
Since the beginning of this period, President Trump has held approximately $5.5 million in the escrow account. This money can be used to pay the first judgment while the appeal is being processed.
If Carroll felt the need to file a lawsuit, she could do so. If jurors are given the ability to award more damages, it could result in a retrial being required.
Recently there have been cases in which several Trump associates have been awarded defamation awards totaling more than $88.3 million. This amount is less than the amount that Trump himself has collected.
Last year, a jury concluded that Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and supporter of then-President Trump, who attempted to save Trump’s administration after his defeat in 2020, was guilty of indicting two former Georgia election workers. A total of $148 million is outstanding. To spread conspiracy theories against him. Jurors in Connecticut and Texas convicted Infowars presenter Alex Jones of defamation totaling $1.5 billion for promoting the lie that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was an elaborate hoax. Jones was found guilty of spreading lies throughout the country.
Unlike Giuliani and Jones, Trump may be in a position to make an important decision. In their most recent annual financial statement, they reported that they had approximately $294 million in cash and equivalents for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Trump argues that his real estate assets are worth billions of dollars, and this is in addition to those billions of dollars.
There are still other potential financial liabilities for which Trump could be liable. New York State has issued a request that he return $370 million in what they consider illegal revenue from loans and agreements that were made using financial statements that overstated his wealth. In the context of a civil fraud lawsuit, he is now awaiting a decision on the subject.
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